Daily Times

The law enforcement agencies (LEAs), on Wednesday afternoon, baton-charged nurses protesting for health professional allowance, promotion and upgradation under the four-tier formula and other demands outside the Karachi Press Club.

The nurses, most of whom were women, were trying to get to Governor House and speak to the

Governor Sindh. They tried to cross the police barricade outside the press club. They also began removing the police barricades themselves. Meanwhile, the police called in additional forces, including female police officers, and a water cannon to use as a deterrence measure against the protesters.

They have blocked the road leading from the Press Club to Governor House.

Several protesters including four women and 10 men have been taken into custody by the law enforcement agencies.

Those who were injured included Sindh Nurses Alliance Central Leader Ejaz Kaleri, Imran Kaladi and three others.

Earlier, a delegation of Sindh Health Department, which comprised of Sindh Additional Secretary (Health) Abdul Waheed Sheikh, Health Department Section Officer Muhammad Younis and Nursing Director Shabbir Jathyal also paid a visit to the protesting camp.

The representative of the health department urged the nurses to end their protest and give the department more time.

Sindh Nurses Alliance Central leaders Aijaz Kaleri, Atta Rajper and others, however, refused to give the health department more time and demanded the authorities concerned to implement the written agreement signed two months earlier.

SNA has started boycotting general emergency services, intensive care units, pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric emergencies, cardiac intensive care unit and other services across the province after their 72-hours deadline ended.

Emergency services in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, National Institute of Child Health, Sindh Government Lyari General Hospital, Sindh Government Qatar Hospital and other hospitals were badly affected due to this boycott.

Similarly, nurses have also started boycotting the general and emergency duties in protest in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Jamshoro, Shikarpur, Mithi, Jacobabad, Ghotki, Badin, Kashmir, Dadu and other cities.